Re-Release: Can We All Just Get Along?

Jeff Schreifels 

What’s the culture like between different departments at your organization? Do you have solid relationships with your counterparts in finance, program, and marketing? And how are those relationships critical to your success as a major gift officer? Today’s episode is a re-release from a few years ago where Richard and I highlighted why cross-organizational collaboration is so powerful and influential in donor relationships. And it’s never too late. Start now, and get to know the folks around you and the role they play in supporting your organization’s mission.

Recorded 

Welcome to the Nothing But Major Gifts podcast from Veritus Group featuring Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels. Twice a month, we bring you the latest and best thinking about major gift fundraising, so you can develop authentic relationships with your major donors. Here are your hosts, Richard and Jeff.

Jeff Schreifels 

Welcome to the podcast. I have Richard Perry with me here. And today, we’re going to discuss the importance of knowing what other departments in your organization are actually doing. I think, Richard, you’d agree with me that, from our experience, knowing what other departments are doing separates out the average MGO from a great one.

Richard Perry 

Yeah, because if the MGO is basically saying, “Well, you know, my only job here is just to get the money in the door.” Yes, that’s actually your job. Actually, the bigger job on that point is to actually keep the donor. And fulfill the donor’s passions and interests. But, when you think about what an MGO is doing, they’re actually almost like a salesperson. In a commercial organization, you are presenting the product to the customer, or the donor. So therefore, you need to know the products, benefits, features, and all that stuff, which implies that you gotta be talking to somebody about that. You can’t just kind of come in and be like, “Well, okay, we’re done.”

Jeff Schreifels 

But it amazes me how often we don’t see this happening. We see major gift officers so focused on, you know, their donors, and not understanding that they’ve got to know all the products, which means they’ve got to know the people behind those products, and how it all works. So that means they gotta get to know the people who are in program. They got to know finance, HR, the executive team, board members. And it’s not happening.

Richard Perry 

Right. Well, let’s just focus on one, like the program people. So when you talk about the program people, it’s not only just talking to the main person that’s in program and understanding, but sitting with the people that manage the various… like, so for instance, in most non-profits, do you have like three or four major areas of emphasis, right? And usually those are published on the website, “We do these four or five major things.” Well, someone in the organization actually manages those. So have you spent time with them? You know, have you been in a meeting with them, to talk about, “Well, what’s the problem you’re trying to solve? How are you addressing that?” And understanding all of that stuff. So I mean, the program, just the program information, I mean, I don’t know how an MGO could actually do their job without spending a great deal of time understanding the product. The product.

Jeff Schreifels 

Yeah. Well, it does separate out those that are average versus great. Because, I see, the really great major gift officers, you know how we’re talking about putting together a marketing impact chart, a goal and a plan for every donor in your portfolio? The great MGOs do that also for each of the departments and the people that are working in those departments, for how are they… they put a plan together for how to keep in touch with them, understand the programs, getting involved, volunteering, doing all these things, through the course of the year that makes that relationship strong. Why? So that they can serve the donor.

Richard Perry 

Exactly. Well, the other reason that you as an MGO need to be in touch with program is for it to affect your own heart and your own spirit. So we tell folks all the time, doesn’t matter what your cause is, doesn’t matter what your cause is, at least once a week, once a week, you should be so in touch with what your program people are doing, what the problem is they’re trying to solve, you should be so in touch with that problem that it affects you at a deep, deep level. That in some cases it breaks your heart. Because if you don’t do that, your heart will get cold. It will get hard. And that’s a problem in fundraising.

Jeff Schreifels 

You know, and also, this makes me think… addressing leaders and managers here in this issue. So there are a lot of organizations that we work with that do international relief. Or they have programs not just in the particular area where their office is. And so they’ve got these great programs going on, let’s say, in Zimbabwe. But yet, they don’t want the MGO to go out and see any of these programs because, “Oh, no, we can’t afford for you to go out there.” Well, how is someone actually going to really feel it, take that back to a donor without being in the program and the need? Right?

Richard Perry 

Right. Well, and that’s a false economy. I mean, what’s it going to cost you to do that? And in relative terms, as it relates to donors, who could give these transformational gifts? I mean, they give huge amounts of money, if you properly interpreted what the… so programs is one area. Finance, of course, huge area. You’ve got to understand the numbers.

Jeff Schreifels 

Yeah. Because we need to know what it actually costs to run these programs? And how can we bring it to a donor and with all that, you know, and you need a finance person to help you walk that through. And if you don’t know that finance person, and understand where they’re coming from, they’re not going to help you if you’d like them to.

Richard Perry 

Well, we suggest that you spend time with finance. I mean, sometimes, you can get your numbers from the program people. Like, “Well now how much does that… I have a donor that’s interested in x. How much does that program cost?” And the program person will say, “Well, our budget for that program is $2.1 million.” Well, in fact, there’s probably other costs. But not probably. There always are other costs. There are other costs that the finance person knows about that probably raise that $2.1 million to $2.8, $3.2, or whatever. So understanding the whole context, for what it costs to do a program is a very important thing. And that’s information that comes from the finance person.

Jeff Schreifels 

And then there’s the executives. You know, the CEO. You know, you have to have a good relationship with him or her, because you’re going to need them. And many times, to go with you to talk with donors and actually solicit the donors because donors want to hear it from the CEO, or the Executive Director. If you don’t have a good relationship there, and they don’t trust you, as the major gift officer, you’re not going to see those big gifts.

Richard Perry 

Well, and if you have a good relationship, then you can suggest, I remember you did this once, where you actually practiced the ask with an authority figure so that you could see and feel it before you got in front of the donor. Well, if you don’t have a relationship, you can’t do that. It’s going to be, Well just call me up, George, when we’re ready to do it. And we’ll get in the car, and we’ll just go present.” Well, no. It’s way more complex and it needs to be more relational than that.

Richard Perry 

Yeah. Now, the other side of all this, you need to, as a major gift officer, build these relationships with other departments. The other benefit, of course, is that they get to know you, as the major gift officer, and what it’s all about.

Richard Perry 

And again, understand, because you know, Jeff, there’s a huge misunderstanding about how major gifts works. It’s just like, I mean, I think in most organizations, people, they just view major gifts as sort of another spigot coming into the house where you just turn the thing on and money kind of comes out. And oh, it’s those major gifts people. That’s unfortunate. We’ve actually suggested to folks, “Look, why don’t you bring in one of your major donors and have them talk to the head of finance?”

Jeff Schreifels 

Exactly.

Richard Perry 

So that the head of finance… so that their heart can be affected by the fact that this is a real person, this is a human being, that has deep concerns and deep cares. And that they’re counting on the organization. I mean, I would suggest you do that. Do that with program people. I mean, how many program people have met donors? I mean, a lot of donors, and just sit and hear their heart and see what’s in their spirit about the cause that they’re actually managing?

Jeff Schreifels 

Not enough. And they need to because many times the donor will want to hear directly from the people who are working in those programs. You know, those are the people on the front lines. And so donors want to hear those stories from them. So having a great relationship with the program folks is just paramount to being successful as a major gift officer. So you could say, “Okay, well how do you actually create… break down these silos, trying to create relationships… what do we do?”

Richard Perry 

Well, there’s a formal thing you can do. And we really recommend this, to set up ongoing meetings… “Hey, program person.” And by the way, not only the top one, but the divisions or the category managers. “Let’s just meet and talk.” And so you just set that up. “Hey finance person.” And sometimes, don’t just get the head of finance, but get somebody else, too. The bookkeeper or some managers, because sometimes the really influential finance person that’s going to mess you up is not the director, but somebody down the line. Get together with them formally. Set up meetings, regular meetings, and just talk. And the objective of those meetings would be one, I want to understand what you do, and I want to keep understanding what you do. And secondly, I want you to understand what I do, and keep understanding what I do. So do that. That’s the formal way.

Jeff Schreifels 

Okay, so formal meetings, ongoing meetings. I think another good one is to, you know, you always have staff meetings. So in those staff meetings, you should be presenting on what is happening in major gifts, and what is happening with your donors. And tell stories about your donors, and the importance of great big gifts, but also stories of how donors’ lives have been changed by giving those gifts. Which is “Wow, really? That’s amazing.” And talking about how it’s alleviated the need, and all those other things, but those stories are so important in those staff meetings. That will change how people view major gift fundraising.

Jeff Schreifels 

I have seen really good major gift officers who’ve done this. They’ve said, “Look, I have to get to know these people. And we’re going to have these meetings and set meetings and all that. But you really get to know them after work.” You know?

Richard Perry 

Right. Another one was just an informal meeting, like coffees, lunches, happy hours. Why not just go out? Make friends. I mean, it doesn’t cost you that much in terms of time, but it’s going to solve all kinds of problems.

Richard Perry 

Exactly.

Jeff Schreifels 

I mean, that’s when people start talking about what’s really happening.

Richard Perry 

I know, I know. It’s so important. I mean, you could follow these three things: Set up the meetings, do the formal stuff; have the staff meetings and presentations to explain what you do, and how we all need each other; and then, of course, these informal kinds of things. I mean, all of this is so important in order for you to get your job done. And that’s why we basically are talking about this on this podcast.

Jeff Schreifels 

Because ultimately, you’re trying to serve your donor. And if you’re really serving that donor well, you need everyone in your organization’s help to do that. You’re not an island. You can’t do this on your own as a major gift officer. You need everyone in that organization to do it. So hopefully, we’ve given you some good ideas. But we have a white paper for you, that will give you some more ideas. And actually, it’s pretty, it’s named, “We All Need Each Other.”

Richard Perry 

And it has a lot of this information in it.

Jeff Schreifels 

So go to veritusgroup.net and download the white paper, “We All Need Each Other.” And thank you for joining us today. And I hope we’ve inspired you to be just a little bit better about what you’re doing.

Richard Perry 

Exactly. Be more inclusive. Thank you.

Recorded 

Thank you for joining us for the Nothing But Major Gifts podcast from Veritus Group. Richard and Jeff also write an ongoing blog that you can subscribe to for free at veritusgroup.net. Please join us again next time.

Note: Since the original release of this podcast episode, the White Paper “We All Need Each Other” has been updated to “Building a Culture of Philanthropy.” You can download your free copy here.